When we take a sniff, chemicals enter our nose and allow us to smell the world around us. But can we detect changes in odor in less than a second? This has been a mystery until now.
Wen Zhou, a psychology researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, explains that each sniff may feel like capturing a moment in time of the scents present. However, their new invention tells a different tale. By detecting the start of a sniff through nasal pressure changes and releasing two different odors at varying distances from the nose, they have uncovered something fascinating.
Over 200 participants were exposed to these unique odor sequences with precise timing differences. Some scents resembled apples or flowers while others were more pungent like onions or lemon. Participants had to identify the order of smells they perceived during each sniff.
Date: 2024-10-14 Time: 10:00:00
Original Source: www.sciencenews.org